Sunday, November 25, 2012

Sign Language: It's Not Just About The Hands

NPR asks its listeners "What do you look for in an interpreter?" Read or listen to the story here. The news organization sets up the story this way:

Over the past few weeks at news conferences and speeches, we've seen sign language interpreters who appear far more animated than the politicians in front of the microphones - Lydia Callis, for example, who stood beside New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg before, during and after Superstorm Sandy. The gestures and facial expressions she used to relay the mayor's remarks to the deaf and hard of hearing drew wide attention. And some of the deaf community took offense at exaggerated spoofs they saw on "Saturday Night Live," "The Daily Show," and on "Chelsea Lately."